Monday, August 24, 2009

I, too, sing America...I, too, am America

8"x10" - watercolor and India ink

I can't believe it's been almost 6 weeks since my last Blog post.Sorry guys, but I've been busy painting - getting ready for an upcoming show.I am very honored to have been invited to participate with 4 other women artists in the Moja Visual Arts Invitational Exhibit at Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston.The show will be hung September 22, and will be up until October 30.

The theme were given comes from the first and last lines of the Langston Hughes poem "I, too"..."I, too, sing America... I, too, am America".Here is my artist's statement about this show:

“My marriage to Col. Frank Hamilton, US Army (Ret) in 2005 has brought me a much more personal awareness of military traditions and history and the sacrifices of many, particularly black soldiers. My mother had told me that my grandfather served in the U.S. Army in the Spanish American War in Cuba in 1898, where he contracted malaria and survived. Other than that, we know very little about his military service. I have since discovered that he served in what was considered a Buffalo Soldier regiment. I decided to use the theme of this exhibit to honor my grandfather and others of color who also served America in the period from Civil War and through World War I, at a time when just being a man of color in this country was a liability.My pieces will depict soldiers of that era.”

The image above is not a painting from the show, but rather is an entry in the journal that will accompany the show on the same theme.The show artists as well as others will post entries and the journal will be on display at the show.(Though I thought I was finished painting for the show, I am seriously considering doing an entire painting based on this image.Do you think I should?)

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About Me

When I retired as a college mathematics instructor, I couldn't wait to further explore the possibilities of being a full time artist. I started painting in watercolors in 2002 and I fell madly in love with it. Sometimes, I even paint in my sleep! I hope you enjoy looking at my art.